Follow A Detroit Native As He Goes Globetrotting And Does A 10,000 Mile Mongol Rally

Metro Detroit native Scott Joseph is doing what most of us only dream about. He’s traveling the world and recounting his adventures on his blog, Travelstache. His next adventure: The Mongol Rally.

The Mongol Rally is a 10,000 mile journey across Europe and Asia organized by The Adventurists. It starts July 19th in London, England and ends in Ulan Ude, Russia. There’s no set route that participants take, and they’ll have no support except what their team members can provide. Participants also have to raise £1,000 for charity.

Or, as Scott put it, “It will be myself and three girls, two of whom I have never met. One I met for a day. We will be stuffing ourselves into a tiny, 20-year-old car, which is manual and has steering on the right side. And then driving across two continents.”

Scott’s team, the Nerdventurists is preparing to undertake this incredible journey. Team members include Kristina Manete, a radio jockey and freelance journalist, Sora Reyes, who’s worked with Manete on the podcast Baker Street Babes, Maartje, a full time traveler, and Scott, the only guy.

A photo posted by Travelstache (@travelstache) on May 21, 2015 at 11:24pm PDT

The decision to participate in the Mongol Rally was an easy one for Scott. He explained, “I’ve always loved road trips and this always looked like the ultimate road trip. I also love meeting crazy adventurous people, people full of excitement and life. I find that to meet these people, you must go where they are.”

Additionally, the Nerdventurists are raising money for two charities: CoolEarth, which works to stop the destruction of the world’s rainforests, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for gastrointestinal diseases.

The Mongol Rally promises to be an exciting trip, and Scott is looking forward to the outlandishness that’s sure to accompany it.

“I’m excited to see what weird situations we get ourselves into. Our car is a piece of sh*t, and it will be dressed up to look ridiculous. At some point, we will also be dressed up to look ridiculous. I imagine we will draw a lot of attention, so I can’t wait to meet people along the way and laugh,” said Joseph.

A photo posted by Travelstache (@travelstache) on May 17, 2015 at 8:19am PDT

The Mongol Rally isn’t Scott’s first extended trip. This last fall, he bought a car in Portugal, drove through Morocco, and then back to Spain. He then drove along the Mediterranean to Turkey, crossing 17 countries and three continents. He wracked up an impressive 11,000 miles on the odometer. In Turkey, he sold the car and hitchhiked to Iraq with a friend.

There’s no doubt that Scott’s a seasoned traveler, and he has some advice for people who want to travel but don’t know where to start.

“Buy a ticket and go! It is much easier and cheaper than you might imagine.”

Scott is living proof of his words. He’s been on the road for nine months and traveled through 25 countries. He lives on $1,000 per month, and he’s only made one reservation during the whole trip.

A photo posted by Travelstache (@travelstache) on Mar 24, 2015 at 11:47am PDT

As far as concerns about danger go, Scott’s got some choice words.

“If your biggest fear is danger, come on, have you seen certain areas of Detroit? I’ve been through 52 countries on six continents and I’ve never been in a dangerous situation.”

Support the Nerdventurists

If you’d like to support the Nerdventurists on their trek across Europe, there are several ways to do so.

First, you can check out the Nerdventurists’ FUNraiser page. This is a fundraising platform created by former Mongol Rally participants that allows teams to create “missions” to fulfill. You can donate to a specific mission and have the Nerdventurists donate books to a Kazakhstan orgphanage or listen to the same song for eight hours.

The team also has a gofundme page. For every $25 donation, you can choose a quote from your favorite book for the team to write on their car. How cool is that?

The Nerdventurists hope to raise about $10,000 total, so let’s help them get there.

A photo posted by Travelstache (@travelstache) on Feb 12, 2015 at 6:43am PST

Keep Tabs on Scott and the Team

Those of us who will be staying in the states this summer can still join Scott and the other Nerdventurists on the road through social media. Check out the team’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, and be sure to follow their blog.